Article of footwear.



J. H. PBARGE.

ARTICLE or FOOTWEAR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 9, 1912.

Patented July 15, 1913.

a a i l A f l l l By ,qm

ll. fl

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFTCFT.

JOI-IN HARWOOD PEARGE, OF WESTMOUNT, QUEBEC, CANADA.

ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR.

To all 'wiz-0m 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN HARwooD PEARCE, of lNestmount, Province of Quebec, Canada, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Articles of Footwear; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

This invention relates more particularly to overshoes whose lower or tread portions are composed of rubber and which may be of the type commonly known as rubbers or of the type known as o-vershoes.7

The invention has particular reference to l the heel portion of the overshoe with the object of providing a heel having a particular formation or configuration adapted to lessen the liability of breaking or buckling of the rubber shoe at the rear thereof when used on a leather shoe having a broken down or worn heel and thus increase the life of the rubber shoe.

ln the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is a side view partly broken away of a rubber constructed according to my invention showing it in use. Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2 2 Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3 Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the heel portion of the last on which my improved shoe is formed. Figs. 5 and 6 are detail sectional views showing a rubber of the ordinary type applied to a worn heel.

Tn the drawings I have shown my invention embodied in the type of overshoe commonly known as a rubber and I will therefore refer hereafter to the overshoe simply as the rubben The upper 2 and sole 3 of the rubber may be in all respects of usual formation, this invention relating entirely to the heel 4, the rubber being shown in Figs. 1 and 2 as fitted upon a leather shoe 5 the heel of which latter is shown at 6, further reference to which will presently be made.

As is well known the heel of the ordinary leather shoe breaks down rapidly at the rear lower edge thereof (the sharp corner presented by the heel when new wearing down very quickly until a larger surface is pre sented to the pavement upon the foot first touching the ground at each step.) The result is that the majority of people are wearing, during the greater part of the time, shoes with heels rounded off or worn down Speccation of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 9, 1912.

Patented July 15, 1913.

sei-iai No. 696,229.

to a greater or lesser degree at the lower rear corners.

Heretofore the rubbers, or rubber soled overshoes, have been made with flat heels adapted to t the heel of the leather shoe when the latter is in perfect condition, with the result that, with the heel of the leather shoe in the condition in which a large number remain during the greater part of their life, there is a space between the heel of the rubber and the heel. of the leather shoe, and when the weight of the wearer comes upon the heel. at the beginning of each step the upper of the rubber' buckles or bends at the point where it joins the heel and the rubber breaks at this point very quickly.

According to my invention the heel of the rubber is curved or sloped upwardly toward the rear longitudinally as shown at 7 in Fig. 1, the upward slope commencing about midway between the front and rear edges of the heel with the rear lower edge rounded otl as shown at S, the heel being also concaved transversely as shown at 9 in Figs. 2 and 3 so that the heel is of concave formation considered from the inside.

As indicated more clearly by the shade lines in Fig. 4, which shows the appearance in underside plan of the last on which the heel is formed, the heel presents at the front a. flat portion 12 of substantially triangular form narrowing from the front edge of the heel which forms the base of the triangle rearwardly toward a point located abo-ut at the center of the heel, which point forms the apex of the triangle, the remaining portions 13 of the heel bottom sloping away from the sides of the said triangular flat portion toward the edges of the heel.

lVith the rubber heel concaved as above set forth it will lit snugly against the heel 6 when the latter is worn or broken down at the lower edges as shown at 6.

In order that the object of my invention may be made clear I have illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 the heel portion of a rubber of ordinary formation upon the leather heel 6. As shown in Fig. 5, when the weight of the person is off of the foot there is a space 15 between the heel 16 of this rubber and the leather heel 6 and when the foot is placed upon the ground or pavement as indicated in Fig. 6 the weight of the person causes the flexible rubber heel to flatten up against the leather one and the upper of the rubber to buckle or bend either outwardly or inwardly (it being here illustrated as bent outwardly as at 16') with the consequence that the rubber cracks or breaks in a Very short time, thereby destroying its waterproof qualities.

lVith a rubber overshoe constructed according to my invention it will be apparent that this tendency of the upper to buckle will be prevented and the life of the shoe as a waterproof foot covering will be greatly increased. It will also be apparent that a rubber overshoe constructed according to my invention may be worn without increased liability to injury upon a shoe having a perfect heel for the reason that the rubber heel will still fit closely at its rear against the leather heel and no buckling of any part of the rubber overshoe results when the weight of the wearer is placed thereon, the rubber heel simply flattening out without damage.

l. A rubber overshoe having a portion of the interior bottom surface of the heel thereof flat, said fiat portion having a side coincident and coextensive with the breast end of the heel, said flat portion extending rearwardly from said. breast end to approximately midway of the length of the heel,

the remainder of said bottom surface being curved upwardly from said flat portion toward the rear and sides of the heel.

2. A rubber overshoe having a portion of the interio-r bottom surface of the heel thereof flat, said flat portion having a` side coincident with the breast end of the heel and sides extending from said rst-me-ntioned side and converging to a point approximately central of said bottom surface, the remainder of said bottom surface being curved upwardly from said flat portion toward the rear and sides of the heel.

3. A rubber overshoe having a portion of the interior bottom surface of the heel thereof flat, said flat portion having a side coincident with the breast end of the heel, said fiat portion extending rearwardly from said breast end to approximately midway of the length of the heel, the remainder of said bottom surface being curved upwardly from said flat portion toward the rear and sides of the heel.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN HARVOOD PEARCE.

llitnesses ALEX. Gummi, FRED J. PEARGE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, C. 

